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Elizabeth Smart Shares Her Bodybuilding Story After Breaking Free from Fear of Being Judged
Elizabeth Smart is shocking fans by highlighting a different aspect of her life, bodybuilding. The 38-year-old activist posted her competition photo from the Wasatch Warrior event in Salt Lake City and let her followers know that it was in fact her fourth time competing.
On Instagram, Smart in a sincere post shared that once she was too scared to expose this part of her life, as she was afraid she would be judged or not taken seriously. While talking about those fears, she realized that they were similar to the struggles of many survivors, which was the reason she decided to reveal her story and embrace this new path.
Elizabeth Smart Honors Her Strong Body and Pledges to Keep Bodybuilding
Elizabeth Smart revealed that the reason she started bodybuilding was simply because she wanted to enjoy life to the fullest and didn’t want to end up regretting “living a half-life.” According to her, this change was a huge challenge for her, both physically and mentally, but in the end she was able to celebrate her body’s incredible stamina and strength which made her very proud.
She hoped that by sharing her story, she would encourage other people to be brave enough to set new goals and focus on their happiness. Robyn Maher, her coach, not only complimented her stage performance but also told that Smart does “not think about the possibility of stopping.” Actually, there is already a new training plan for her upcoming competitions.
Elizabeth Smart Explains Why She Shared Her Story
Looking back on what happened, Elizabeth Smart said that making known what happened to her in 2002 was a conscious decision to search for the meaning of her trauma. At first, she had a strong desire to keep silent after being rescued. However, her presence in court as a witness opened her eyes to the fact that the public heard the facts without the context, which only she could give.
She told Netflix’s *Tudum* that she decided to reveal her story in order for it to serve a purpose and reach others. Through reclaiming her story, she turned her pain into a significant means of raising awareness, which made the details of her life capable of making a difference not only for herself but also for other survivors who need to find their voices.
If you want to read about Elizabeth’s terrifying experience, continue reading.
The police chief shared the details of the thorough probe of Elizabeth Smart’s family back then.
In the 2026 Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, Investigator Lyman, who was the main detective in this case, stated the reasons why the police at first took a keen interest in the Smart family after Elizabeth’s 2002 kidnapping. Lyman said that in this type of case, the statistics usually point to family members, so the authorities had to conduct very detailed interviews with the Smart family and take away 12 computers from their house as evidence.
The missing physical evidence at the suspected entry point became an additional reason for suspicion. As a result, the detectives even entertained the possibility that the scene of the crime was staged. But, as a result of extensive digital forensic investigations and the subsequent polygraph test taken by Ed Smart, the family was finally exonerated of all their suspicions.”
Ed Smart Opens Up On Breakdown And Short Stay After Daughter’s Kidnapping
During the Kidnapped documentary, Ed Smart opened up about the heavy impact of his daughter’s disappearance and the added stress of being a police suspect, which almost led to breakdown. He said that he was so consumed by the situation that he started shuddering uncontrollably, especially after finding out that police thought he was keeping secrets.
This big upset even made Ed father to step in and take him to hospital where Ed was, for a short time, committed to a psychiatric ward.
Ed spoke of that very sad moment when he had to spend that whole night in the ward crying as he was trying to get over the shock of his daughter’s disappearance along with the pressure of the investigation.
Tom Smart Ponders How His Public Behavior Made Him a Search Target
Originally a main family spokesperson, Ed’s brother Tom Smart inadvertently ended up being the suspect because of his “jittery” behavior and inconclusive polygraph results. When the “Kidnapped” documentary came out, Tom confessed that his media appearances, one of which he seemed to show weird sympathies for the abductor, actually turned him into a suspect in the eyes of the public and the investigators.
His brother, Dave Smart, said that due to the way Tom behaved, people started wondering if he was hiding something. Tom said that his puzzling remarks and unstable behavior were just the result of extreme tiredness. He emphasized that his only concern was finding Elizabeth and that he had never cared about being officially exonerated because he was sure of his innocence.
Family recovers the moment when police found unknown remains
While searching for Elizabeth, succession of police came across the remains of a female victim which compelled the main investigator Cory Lyman to inform Ed and Lois Smart that the girl might be their daughter. Ed recalled how he had gotten the dreadful information of a “body that was burnt beyond recognition” and described that he had to prepare himself mentally for what was to come.
Although, it turned out that the remains belonged to a different person, Lyman stated that it was a great emotional challenge to see a family endure such a state of uncertainty. Ed stated that even though the initial reaction of him was relief, it was during that time that he was in deepest torment and questioning the many possible scenarios as to where Elizabeth could be and what happened to her.
Mary Katherine Smart Remembers Being Isolated as the Only Witness during the Investigation
Elizabeth and Mary Katherine Smart were sharing a bedroom the night of the abduction, and as sole witness, she was interviewed by the police a number of times. To keep her memory fresh, she was mostly kept away from hearing any details of the case.
In the documentary *Kidnapped*, she expressed how lonely and helpless she felt and compared the situation to being left on a “deserted island.” She told how the police were pushing her to remember the kidnapper’s voice and even hypnotized her, which she describes as a very intense and confusing event for a 9-year-old girl.
The Case Closed When Suspect Richard Ricci Died in Jail
In their pursuit of Elizabeth Smart, the police thought the arrest of Richard Ricci was going to be the final piece that would help them close the case. Ricci was a contractor who had worked for the Smart family and after being found with some of Lois Smart’s jewelry, he was considered the main suspect. However, he kept denying that he had anything to do with the kidnapping.
The case against Ricci was not strong, and the biggest problem was that Mary Katherine Smart, the victim’s sister, did not recognize him as the kidnapper. The police were so desperate for information that they even offered Ricci immunity if he gave them tips on the case. Unfortunately, before anything could be done, Ricci had a fatal brain aneurysm in jail.
Ricci’s unexpected death brought the investigation to a halt and Cory Lyman, the lead investigator, said it was a huge setback because Ricci was the only person who might have had answers to the case that were now lost forever.
Mary Katherine Smart Remembers Sudden Breakthrough in Identifying Kidnapper
It was a sudden and totally unexpected stroke of genius that four months after the disappearance of Elizabeth, Mary Katherine Smart had her “Eureka!” moment of the abductor’s identity. Being unable to sleep, she was just waiting for her father to come and tuck her in. She was flipping through a copy of the Guinness World Records when a name popped into her head.
She remembered the name “Emmanuel, ” which was the alias of Brian David Mitchell, a hobo and a self-declared prophet, who had been doing odd jobs for the Smart family from time to time. Thanks to this sudden inspiration, Mary was able to provide the investigators with the vital clue they had been desperately seeking.
Elizabeth Smart Recalls Hearing Search Party While Held Captive
When Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped and held captive by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee in a mountain hideout, she had a nightmare moment when rescuers almost found her. She said she could barely hear people calling her name as the search parties were looking for her nearby.
But, the situation suddenly became horrifying when Mitchell pulled a knife on her and threatened to kill anyone who would come to the camp, blaming her for it. The voices gradually disappeared leaving Elizabeth still captive while the search was going on.
Elizabeth Smart Shares Her Story of Trauma and Survival After Kidnapping
Elizabeth Smart recently disclosed that she was grossly physically and mentally abused during her captivity and that this abuse was one of the greatest sources of pain for her. She talked not only about the repeated assaults but also about the constant manipulation and control her abductor had over her.
Once, when her captors were talking about going to a different major city, Elizabeth understood that she might never be found if they went away. She acted quickly to get them to come back to Salt Lake City, a decision that eventually helped to lead to her saving.
Family Disobeyed Police and As a Result Breakthrough Was Made in the Case of Elizabeth Smart
As Mary Katherine revealed the name “Emmanuel” as a possible lead, there was a disagreement between the police and the Smarts. While the family thought it was the big break that they had been looking for, the police were doubtful at first because voice identification was not regarded as a strong piece of evidence, and the name had never come up in their investigation.
The police feared that a public release of the suspect’s sketch might frighten him and thus advised against it. Nonetheless, the Smart family, on the other hand, publicly released the sketch after they held a news conference.
It turned out to be a major step in the right direction when they received a call from the man’s family members who identified him as Brian David Mitchell. Later, Elizabeth’s kidnapper was eventually spotted and arrested in public on March 12, 2003, and this led to her being brought home.
Elizabeth Smart Remembers Terrifying Fear of Being Rescued and Tearful Reunion
Elizabeth Smart thought the police were a trick and did not even want to speak to them at first when they met her and her captors. She was scared and did not know how to answer safely since her abusers were close to her when Sandy City Police Sgt. Victor Quezada was questioning her.
After Quezada urged her several times for details, she uttered the words of a bible, which he considered as a sign to her identity. Even after being secured and seeing her father, at first, she did not want to talk since she thought that she was going to get into trouble, but later she was comforted by his presence.
Brian David Mitchell Still Locked Up, While Wanda Barzee Gets into More Legal Issues
Brian David Mitchell is the man who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart in 2002. In 2010 he was convicted of kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes. After committing a plea of not guilty on grounds of insanity, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In October 2025, he was moved to a medium-security federal prison in Pennsylvania after he was reported to have been attacked several times in prison.
His wife and companion in crime, Wanda Barzee, in 2009 pleaded guilty to kidnapping-related offenses and was condemned to 15 years in prison. Though she expressed her regret to Elizabeth Smart and the family in court, Barzee was let go in 2018 even though they protested. In May 2025 she was again detained for allegedly a registered sex offender entering protected park areas in Utah but she was released on court orders and had to report weekly to the police.
Despite Her Ordeal, Elizabeth Smart Has A Family and Advocacy Career
Elizabeth Smart has focused her life on family, advocacy and arts. Besides being an accomplished harp player, she graduated from BYU with a music degree and happened to fall in love with her husband, Matthew Gilmour, while doing a Mormon missionary work in Paris. The two got married in Hawaii in 2012 and now have three kids.
Smart has used her suffering as a source of inspiration and motivation to dedicate her life to helping others by speaking about her experience publicly, writing books and making films that focus on kidnapping and survivor stories.
Considering the path to healing, she said that nowadays she treats herself with more compassion and she is also able to give herself encouragement, the same way she does to others, even on her low days.
